1. The CPLA, the RMA, and the loss of residual indigenous species habitat in the eastern South Island Susan Walker New Zealand Plant Conservation Network conference Canterbury Horticultural Society Rooms 57 Riccarton Avenue, Christchurch Friday 8 October 2010

2. Co-incidence/concurrence in eastern South Island Threatened plant distribution Land reform (tenure review) under the CPLA Indigenous vegetation clearance and loss under the RMA

3. Thanks! Information, data, and photographs David Barrell, Warren Chinn, Joy Comrie, Iain Gover, Nick Head, Bill Lee, Di Lucas, Ian Lynn, Colin Meurk, Tony Perrett, Stuart Reynolds, Geoff Rogers, James Shepherd, Anne Steven, Marta Treskonova, Emily Weeks ‘Above Hawkes Bay’ (www.abovehawkesbay.com) and Geoff Rogers for oblique aerial photographswww.abovehawkesbay.com

4. Threatened plant distribution (elevation zones) No. Threatened plants National distribution (de Lange et al. 2009) Category 1. Nationally critical Category 2. Nationally endangered Category 3. Nationally vulnerable

5. Threatened plant distribution (elevation zones) No. Threatened plants Canterbury’s Threatened plants Category 1. Nationally critical Category 2. Nationally endangered Category 3. Nationally vulnerable

6. Threatened plant distribution (elevation zones) No. Threatened & At Risk plants Canterbury’s Threatened & Declining (i.e. Category 4) plants Category 1. Nationally critical Category 2. Nationally endangered Category 3. Nationally vulnerable Category 4. At Risk

7. 20 Threatened 40 At Risk ( 23% of Canterbury’s ‘Threatened’ and ‘At Risk’ plants) plus 4 Data Deficient ( 11% of Canterbury’s ‘Data Deficient’ Plants) Threatened plants of the Mackenzie Basin floor 'Foothills' environments (Lenz Level I E) (mainly moriane landforms, with kettleholes) 'Plains' environments (Lenz Level I N) (reworked outwash & braided riverbed )

8. Threatened, At Risk and Data Deficient flora 33 species grasslands & shrublands 31 species wetlands & their margins and turfs

9. Land reform (tenure review) under the CPLA

10. High country land reform ‘Tenure Review’ Commenced ~1992 Splits lease land between private and protected tenure ~20% of the South Island Approx. 350 crown- owned long-term pastoral leases (median size 4,500 ha)

11. 39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant May 2005 66 leases since 1992 328,350 ha affected 5% privatised with a covenant 1% retained as Special Lease 39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant May 2005 66 leases since 1992 328,350 ha affected 5% privatised with a covenant 1% retained as Special Lease All land allocated in Tenure Review Grazing (8%) 43% protected (DOC) 50% privatised without a covenant September 2007 90 leases (from 1992) 490,500 ha affected 6% privatised with a covenant

12. Threat classification for land environments CategoryCategory CriteriaCategory Name 1<10% indigenous cover leftAcutely Threatened 210–20% leftChronically Threatened 320–30% leftAt Risk 4>30% left and <10% protected Critically Underprotected 5>30% left and 10–20% protected Underprotected 6>30% left and >20% protected Less Reduced and Better Protected More developable land, more threatened and less well- protected biodiversity Assumptions Risk to indigenous biodiversity is highest in land environments where habitats for native species have been much reduced in the past and /or are poorly protected today

13. Threatened environments on leases Elevation (m) <10% leftLess Reduced and Better Protected

14. Richmond Pastoral Lease Lake Tekapo

15. PRIVATISED LEGALLY PROTECTED Lake Tekapo Richmond Pastoral Lease

16. Hawkdun Range Upper Manuherikia Valley Braeside Pastoral Lease

17. PRIVATISED LEGALLY PROTECTED Upper Manuherikia Valley Hawkdun Range Braeside Pastoral Lease

18. High probability of protection Low probability of protection % of indigenous cover protected as public land % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk actual modeled From: Walker, Price & Stephens 2008

19. 39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant May 2005 66 leases since 1992 328,350 ha affected 5% privatised with a covenant 1% retained as Special Lease 39% protected (DOC) 55% privatised without a covenant May 2005 66 leases since 1992 328,350 ha affected 5% privatised with a covenant 1% retained as Special Lease All land allocated in Tenure Review Grazing (8%) 43% protected (DOC) 50% privatised without a covenant September 2007 90 leases (from 1992) 490,500 ha affected 6% privatised with a covenant

20. % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk Predicted based on (66 leases to May 2005) % protection as public land Actual (90 leases to September 2007) More recent data are very similar Rogers & Reynolds(Department of Conservation) unpublished

21. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 DOC managers recommended for protection as public land More developable land More threatened biodiversity Threat categories from the Threatened Environment Classification (Walker et al. 2007) Data source: Department of Conservation, (Rogers & Reynolds) unpublished data for 69 of the 90 leases reviewed 1992-2007 Recommendations and achievements for significant inherent values in Tenure Review to Sept. 2007 LINZ achieved protection as public land % of identified significant inherent values <10% indigenous cover left 10–20% left20–30% left>30% left and <10% protected >30% left and 10–20% protected >30% left and >20% protected

22. % privatisation loss % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk 0-20%20-40%40-60%60-80%80-100% Leases have retained more indigenous cover than private land Private land Crown pastoral leases

23. Low probability of clearance High probability of clearance % privatisation loss ( % clearance of remaining indigenous cover on leases) % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk actual modeled

24. Predicted % clearance of remaining indigenous cover on leases % indigenous cover remaining in environments High Risk > Low Risk other % of remaining indigenous cover on leases predicted to be cleared following privatisation

25. Indigenous vegetation loss under the RMA

26. Comprehensive data absent! No LCDB3! LCDB2 grassland data inaccurate and long out of date (~1990?)

27. The Mackenzie Basin floor 'Foothills' environments (Lenz Level I E) (mainly moriane landforms) 'Plains' environments (Lenz Level I N) (much reworked outwash)

28. 19902009 Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Extent of complete conversion

29. 2009 Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Conversion 1990-2009 Oversowing & topdressing (41%) Soil cultivation and/or irrigation (50%) Forestry Urban/ Infrastructure

30. Mackenzie Basin floor 2009 Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Proposed 2010 on… 2009 Upper Waitaki Hearing: Irrigation application areas

31. Southern Mackenzie Basin floor Ohau Downs outwash plain proposed for irrigation Wairepo kettleholes – now an island

32. Pastoral leases on the Mackenzie Basin floor 19902010 Pastoral leases Conservation land (ex leases) overlapping basin floor

33. B: 2009 Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 Remaining leases on the Mackenzie Basin floor

34. Mackenzie Basin floor Converted by 1990 Converted between 1990 and 2009 2009 Upper Waitaki Hearing: Irrigation application areas Northern Mackenzie Basin floor Simons Pass outwash Irishmans Creek moraines

35. Conclusions